James Webb Telescope Discovers Early Universe's 'Monster Stars'

Scientists using the James Webb Space Telescope have discovered evidence of 'monster stars' in the early universe, which may help solve the mystery of how supermassive black holes formed so early in cosmic history.

These ancient stars, located in the galaxy GS 3073, were found to have masses ranging from one thousand to ten thousand times that of the sun and are believed to have formed approximately one billion years after the Big Bang.

The study, co-led by Daniel Whalen from the Portsmouth's Institute of Cosmology and Gravitation and published on November 12 in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, suggests these massive stars burned brightly for a brief period before collapsing into black holes, leaving behind detectable chemical signatures.

The research highlights an unusual nitrogen to oxygen ratio of 0.46 in GS 3073, a signature not typically found in stars or stellar explosions, which aligns with theoretical models of primordial stars.

The nitrogen was produced through a three-step process involving the burning of helium, which created carbon that mixed with hydrogen in a shell to eventually form nitrogen. This nitrogen signature indicates a specific mass range for the stars that can produce it, suggesting a 'sweet spot' for chemical enrichment.

The findings propose that instead of exploding as supernovas, these monster stars collapsed directly into black holes, potentially explaining the presence of an actively feeding black hole at the center of GS 3073, which could be a remnant of one of these primordial supermassive stars.

This discovery offers crucial insights into the chemical evolution of the early universe and the origins of the first stars and black holes.